Inherently Flawed
by Blu Wolf 23
Summary: "Part of being human revolves around having flaws, imperfections, weaknesses. It's what makes us who we are." After an encounter with Cinder gets Penny to question everything she knows, she begins to unravel the mystery of where she came from and what she discovers sends her down a path, a path that leads to conflict between herself and the puppets she once called friends.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Heart to Heart

Penny walked through the lower levels of her home, a place she often tried to stay out of as often as possible. The barren white walls of the building were a stark contrast to the City of Vale, a place full of color and personality. From the warm orange of the setting sun's light being projected across the surface of the bay, to the soft light of the street lamps reflecting off the wet cobblestone paths of Old Vale after a spring time rainstorm. To the many kinds of people that roamed the streets, most of whom were warm and friendly. Each having a unique tale to tell.

The young woman was well known around the city, constantly dropping into to various shops to see how their employees were holding up. She would feed the ducks and jump rope with the little kids in the city park. These activities brought her great amount of joy, and served as escape from what had been many years hidden away from the world.

Here at home, the corridors were partially illuminated by bright white lamps located near the floor. The concrete walls were cracked and chipped in some places but structural scans showed her the tunnels were in no danger of collapsing. The people that worked throughout the facility treated her strangely, her friendly greetings often shrugged off by a simple one worded response. There was only one man who was a colorful as the City of Vale, and that man was her father.

When she was little, she was taught military tactics and history. She was told about the rise and fall of the world's greatest leaders. She was told she had been built for one reason, to defend Atlas along with its people and its interests. She was called an asset, she was a weapon.

Her father, however, treated her like a girl, an actual human being. When he wasn't working, he would teach her how to dance, how to prepare a kettle of tea. He would even make her cotton candy on certain days, a sugary treat that she had always loved. It would turn a bad day into a good day, and a good day into a great one.

As she turned to enter one of the faculties many laboratories, she found her father and General Ironwood reviewing her latest combat trial. Her father was jotting down notes absent mindedly while Ironwood critiqued every aspect of her performance.

"It-"

"She." Her father grumbled, sounding like he was tired of having to correct the General.

"_She _needs to move around more, we can't just have her sitting around like that. Anyone with a ranged weapon and decent aim would be able to take her down from afar."

"We'll work on it first thing tomorrow morning." Her father told the general.

"It's still relatively early, why not now?" He asked.

"She's been out and about all day, when she gets back she'll be tired."

"Professor, we can't just be letting her roam around the city by herself. We've talked about this, we had an agreement!"

"I'm well aware General, but there is something you and I have overlooked. Something we failed to understand. Penny is, at heart, still a young girl. She gets curious, she requires social interaction, she still has human needs that need to be met for her well-being."

"That _machine_ is the future in our fight against Grimm, as well as anyone who threatens us!"

"Us General? Or just you?"

Ironwood shook his head, casting his gaze towards the ground.

"You always had a love for weapons, but you could care less about the people who hold them." The Professor scoffed.

"Geppetto my old friend, that is what this project is all about remember? We're taking humans off the battlefield for good. Imagine it, no one will ever have to send their sons or daughters to fight against the Grimm again." Ironwood reasoned, as he began pacing the room.

"Is that what you tell yourself? That all this came without sacrifice? Don't kid yourself. While you were in Atlas, dreaming of bloodless conflicts, I was here. Facing the reality of what you were asking of me. You can try and deny it all you want, but you and I both know why Penny was the first synthetic capable of conveying emotion, generating an aura along with everything else. My god Ironwood, if word ever gets out about what we did-

"Professor." The General grumbled.

He had seen her, standing in the doorway.

"Penny…" The Professor said, putting on a fake smile.

"Good evening." She said, putting on a smile of her own.

"How long were you standing there?" Ironwood asked.

"I just arrived." The girl replied, doing her best to suppress the hiccup rising in her throat, only to fail.

_HIC_

"Excuse me." She said sheepishly.

Ironwood raised an eyebrow, but he seemed to have bought the lie.

"Professor, we'll continue our discussion at some other time."

"Very well." Geppetto replied.

The General exited the room, walking a bit faster than usual.

The Professor sighed before he began clearing off a lab table, motioning for the girl to come closer.

"Tell me about your day, Penny."

She walked over and sat down.

"Well, I went to the library and read a most interesting story." She began.

"Oh? Do you mind telling me what it was about?" The professor asked, prepping a kettle of tea.

"Not at all! You see there was this girl, and she was given a box by the gods, and she was told that she was not to open it under any circumstance. However she ended up opening the box. All the evils of the world rushed out, but one thing remained with the girl. Hope."

"Ah yes, Pandora's Box." The professor said with a sigh.

"Technically a pithos." Penny corrected.

"Haha yes! That's something most people don't know."

"Really? Have they not read the story?" Penny asked.

The Professor brought over two cups of tea as he sat down next to her.

"Some stories become so important to a culture that they come to be known by everyone. Although the finer details can be forgotten." He explained.

"You see, the moral of that story, is that even after learning of the evils that would befall mankind. Pandora could hold onto hope, and hope is more powerful than any weapon any kingdom has in its arsenal."

"Why did she open the box though? She was warned not to, but she did it anyways." Penny wondered.

"Her curiosity got the better of her, it was just one of her flaws and it cost mankind dearly." Geppetto explained.

"A flaw?" The girl wondered.

"Yes, it is imperfection that most people have that can represent the worst of them. In this case, Pandora's curiosity could be viewed as a flaw. Another example could be the Schnee family's hatred for the Faunus. A vicious cycle was created, resulting in decades of senseless violence."

The Professor cast his gaze downwards.

"Part of being human revolves around having flaws, imperfections, weaknesses. It's what makes us who we are."

"What does that mean for me then…What am I?"

The man turned to face her, taking his glasses off and brushing a few strands of red hair out of her face.

"You're my daughter." He told her, planting a kiss on her forehead.

Penny smiled and hugged him in response.

"Come now, let's get you to bed."

The pair walked to the rear of the laboratory, where Geppetto had set up a simple bed room for the two of them. Two separate beds for two distinct sides of the room. Geppetto's side of the room was complete with a small wall mounted bookshelf and a desk, which was littered with scarp paper that were covered in notes. Similarly, at least to some degree, was Penny's side of the room. A portion of the wall had been turned into a mural of the city waterfront, although it was only a quarter of the way done, Penny's watercolor like style never ceased to amaze Geppetto. A small stock of paint cans were stacked by the girl's lime green beanbag chair, which was next to Penny's own little bookshelf.

Geppetto waited outside of the room so that she could change, after a few minutes she called him in where he found her lying under the covers of her bed.

"Father?" She asked.

"Hm?"

"I want to try sleeping tonight, as in actually sleeping. I don't want you to deactivate me until morning. It scares me… waiting for somebody to switch me on so I can get on with my life." She told him.

"Okay, I understand." He replied with a nod before switching off the lights.

"Good night Penny."

"Good night Dad." She replied happily, humming a song in an effort to ease her into a slumber.

_I've got no strings__  
><em>_So I have__fun__  
><em>_I'm not tied up to anyone__  
><em>_They've got strings__  
><em>_But you can see__  
><em>_There are no strings on me_

…

A.N- OH man I should not be starting another RWBY story, but this idea has been bouncing around in my head for days. I feel like Penny doesn't get a whole lot of lead roles in full length stories, at least based on what I've read, so I think this story will be quite different from what's out there at the moment.

Anyways, I hoped you've all enjoyed this opening chapter. Can't wait to read your feedback and reviews! Questions are welcome as well, as long as you aren't asking for major spoilers!

Whelp, that's all I have to say, so…

Until next time!

Wolf out!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Senior Year

Ruby was perched on the top of a water tower, her cloak flapping in the evening breeze. She adjusted her police scanner as she tapped her foot anxiously. It had been awfully quiet tonight…maybe it was time to go home and get ready.

_All available units, Code 503, A Dust transport vehicle has been hijacked. All available units please respond._

Ruby leaped off the water tower, using a small amount of lightning dust to magnetize the blade of her scythe. As she fell past a small flagpole jutting out of the side of a building, she reached out to it with her scythe, catching it with the curve of her blade. She swung around the pole a few times, using her semblance to accelerate her spin, before launching herself upwards over a nearby building. As she sailed over it she flipped a few times, giggling as she felt gravity tug at her stomach.

She fell between two buildings, and used her scythe to dig into the wall of one of them and slow her descent before using her semblance to get going again. She ran along on the wall before jumping to the opposite wall to avoid a fire escape. The sound of police sirens could be heard and were getting louder by the second. She saw the Dust transport whiz by at the far end of they alleyway and began jumping from wall to wall, heading towards the top of the buildings.

The Huntress ran across the rooftops at top speed, trying to catch up to the fleeing vehicle. Once she thought she was range, she dug the end of her scythe into the roof and pole vaulted towards her target. The wind whistled in her ears as she fell towards the street. With a thud she landed on the trailer of the vehicle. She ran towards the cab, shooting out the hitch that kept the two connected. Perhaps if the crooks realized they weren't going to get anything out of this, they would surrender. She leaped onto the hood of the truck and pointed her rifle at the driver.

"Torchwick…" She growled.

"Oh Hiya Red!" He exclaimed.

"I'd love to catch up buuuut-"

He pulled out his cane and blasted the Huntress off the hood, sending her flying down the street into a police blockade. The officers were trying to get the street clear, but panic was making it hard to control the crowd.

Ruby groaned as got up, seeing that Torchwick was barreling right for the blockade. She hit a lever on Crescent Rose and the scythe blade detached from the rest of the weapon. She hit a few buttons on her gauntlet and the blade of her scythe attached itself to her arm. The Huntress leaped forward and took a defensive stanceeH, ready to stop her old foe in his tracks. Fire dust was channeled directly into her weapon, causing its blade to glow red hot.

As the truck got closer, Ruby made sure her feet were firmly planted on the ground. Then as her foe got within striking distance, she threw a punch with her scythe arm, the superheated blade punching right through the grill and burying itself in the engine. The truck groaned and Ruby shouted as she was pushed back, putting her other hand on the grill of the truck. People screamed when the Huntress's solid stance faltered for a brief second. Oil was spluttering from the wounded machine, but Ruby ignored that and focused on putting all of her strength into slowing the truck. Then after what seemed like an eternity, she felt the immense force pushing against her disappear and the people behind her burst into applause.

Police officers advanced on the vehicle, weapons drawn as Ruby backed up, grinning at her accomplishment when her scroll rang. She pulled it out of her pocket to see a message from her sister.

_Weiss bought you 10 minutes, where are you?_

Ruby wanted to scream, she still had to go put her dress on, get flowers, and get backstage to give her girlfriend a pep talk. Even with her semblance, she would be pushing it. She should have known not to go out on patrol tonight. Before anyone could approach her, she zipped down the street, leaving nothing but a bunch of rose petals that made up an outline of her figure in her wake.

…

Weiss was standing by the backstage access door, resisting the urge the start pacing. She had already delayed the start of the concert, much to the dismay of the venue's owner. Although the crowd was casually talking amongst themselves and seemed relatively unphased by the delay, it was Friday night after all. No one was particularly eager to get home.

The Heiress stomped her foot in frustration before walking over to the curtain and pulling it open ever so slightly. She made eye contact with Yang, who was sitting between Jaune and Blake, and winded her eyes and raised her eyebrows as she mouthed:

_Well? Anything?_

To her team mate. The Brawler shook her head and shrugged. She seemed to be saying:

_I don't know where she is!_

Weiss let the curtain close and she returned to her post by the door with a sigh, checking her phone as she did so.

"Come on Ruby…" She muttered.

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

Weiss scrambled over to the door, ready to open it and scoop her loveable dork up into her arms, but a sly grin spread across her face. The Heiress cleared her throat.

"Who is it?" She asked in a voice that wasn't supposed to be her own.

Ruby didn't seem to buy it.

"The F-ing Pizza guy! Open up, I've got to give Bae a pep talk before her big performance!"

Weiss chuckled as she flung the door open to find a girl in a white dress with a big smile on her face holding a small bouquet of red roses. She practically tackled her with a hug and peppered her face with kisses before putting her arms around her.

"You're going to do great, I just now it!" She exclaimed.

"I'm glad you think so." Weiss replied, returning the hug.

"I was afraid we were going have to start without you, where were you?"

Ruby chuckled nervously as Weiss released her from the hug.

"I just lost track of time is all."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at a smudge on the Huntress' cheek.

"Is that oil?" She asked, before putting two and two together.

"Ruby, were you out on patrol again?"

The girl cast her gaze downwards.

"Yeah…"

"Miss Schnee?" A voice called.

"I better go, we've kept everyone waiting long enough." The Huntress muttered.

"Ruby..."

"Miss Schnee!?"

The Heiress spun to face the man.

"Just give me two minutes sir, please!"

She then whipped back around and went after Ruby, grabbing her hand.

"Ruby, please, just…"

The Heiress pulled her closer, taking both of her hands.

"I know you're eager to go out and do your job as a Huntress, and I love that. You've always wanted to help people and that's one of the things that I admire about you, but I miss you. Between school, singing, and everything else that's going on I hardly get to see you as it is. Whenever I am home, you're out and about fighting crime. I don't want us to drift apart like Jaune and Pyrrha did."

"We won't, I would never let that happen to us!" Ruby protested.

"I know you wouldn't, but Jaune said the same thing. That's why I worry. Not just about what's going to happen to us, but about what's going to happen to you. We're supposed to fight as team, what happens if you're out there and you bite off more than you can chew?"

Ruby sighed, this was exactly what had happened when Torchwick had captured her years ago during their second semester at Beacon.

"It's our senior year, life is about to start for us. Soon we'll be true Huntress', ready to fight the enemies of Remnant at a moment's notice. Trust me, you'll have plenty of time to save the world later. Right now, just try to enjoy life, ok?" The Heiress asked, giving her girlfriend a kind smile.

"I'm sorry, it's just…I see everyone going off and doing awesome things. Blake's speeches on Faunus-Human relations have changed things for the better across the kingdom, Yang has her own pub, you got all these people to come out and listen to you sing. Becoming a Huntress is all that I've ever known. I don't have a way with words like Blake, I don't have Yang's social skills, and I don't have a beautiful voice like you do. Being a huntress…it's all I'm good at." Ruby explained.

"You're wrong." Weiss replied, taking the bouquet of roses from her.

"You make an excellent girlfriend." The Heiress told her, planting a kiss on her forehead.

The Huntress blushed as a smile spread across her face.

"Miss Schnee?" The man from earlier asked.

"Coming." She told him.

"Break a leg darlin'." Ruby told her.

Weiss nodded and set off for the stage while Ruby went to find her seat.

…

Ozpin sat in his office, in front of him on holographic video screens were his old friends: Qrow and Raven, both of whom he had known since he first arrived at Beacon. Glynda stood behind him, staring out into the night.

"So Glynda, what's it been like working under Ironwood?" Raven asked.

"Horrible, the man values military might over anything and everything. Anything resembling academics has all but vanished from Beacon. He's turning our students into blockheads, all in the name of fighting an enemy whom he hasn't even met. He's deliberately discriminating against our Faunus students, fearing that they may be members of the White Fang." She growled.

"Yet the council has nothing but praise for him." Qrow grumbled.

"The Council tasked him with preparing Remnant for war, and he's doing just as they asked. I refused them, that's why they _asked _me to step down from my position as Headmaster." Ozpin told them.

"What they've done is give him too much power, the fool thinks the next Great War is coming. Some great new adversary that only he and his army of puppets will be able to defeat. He's caught up in the glorious nostalgia of past wars. Our enemies won't march out onto a stage with army behind them and the goal of world domination. Our enemies hide in the shadows, they know our strength, and they are probing for our weakness. Mark my words, our next great adversary will come from within." Raven growled.

"He has my students-_your _students being sent out across Remnant on search and destroy missions. Not targeting Grimm mind you, but whomever he deems a threat and they've been conditioned to follow orders instead of thinking for themselves. It's deeply concerning." Glynda muttered.

"It's hard to believe the council has let this slip by." Qrow grumbled.

"The White Fang are partially to blame, their attacks only become more coordinated by the day. It is clear there has been a drastic leadership change within the organization. It's frightened them, and that has led to them turning a blind eye to what's going on here at Beacon." Raven reasoned.

"There's no telling what Ironwood will do with this kind of power. What if he decides its best for all the academies to come under his control?" Glynda asked.

"That's why we called this meeting, we need a contingency plan. If Ironwood grows too big for his britches, we need to be prepared to step in and do whatever it takes to preserve the balance of power, not just in Vale but across Remnant." Qrow explained.

"If it comes to it, we need to be ready to remove Ironwood from his position, by any means necessary." Raven explained.

"By definition, this would be treason. I'm sure you all realize that." Ozpin told them.

They nodded grimly.

"I will talk to the General, I may not be the headmaster of Beacon, but I am still concerned about the young men and women who go there. Sending them out on missions to attack targets of his choosing is not acceptable." Ozpin told them.

"It's a start, I'll get ahold of Taiyang. We'll come to Vale together if things start to heat up."

"Well…that'll be awkward." Raven muttered.

"There are bigger things to worry about then an awkward sit down with your estranged ex-husband." Glynda chided.

"Speaking of awkward sit-downs, you ever tell Ruby about that December night in Forever Fall?" Raven asked, looking right at Ozpin.

He frowned, setting down his coffee mug.

"No, I haven't."

"Contrary to the gossip you may have heard on campus…that never went anywhere."

Raven raised her eyebrows.

"You never told her…"

"Raven, this isn't the time." Qrow snapped.

There was minute of awkward of silence.

"Is that all then?" Ozpin asked.

Qrow and Raven nodded.

"Very well, stay in touch, and stay safe."

The video screens disappeared.

Glynda walked over to Ozpin's side.

"You told me you would tell her."

"Of the many mistakes I have made over the course of my life, not telling Summer how I felt about her is one of the greatest." He replied.

Goodwitch patted her friend on the back while moving his coffee cup out of his reach.

"Glynda…" He protested.

"The last thing you need right now is another sleepless night." She reasoned.

"Why would I want to sleep? The last thing I need are more dreams." He grumbled.

"What's wrong with dreams?" She asked.

Her friend sighed.

"Well…they're not so much dreams as they are memories."

"Bad ones I presume?"

"Indeed."

She took his coffee cup to the kitchen and dumped its contents into the sink.

"Well if you're not going to sleep, would you be up for a little game?"

"That would depend on the game." He replied.

She reached up into a cabinet and pulled out a small wooden box.

"How about Chess?" The Witch asked.

A small smile appeared on Ozpin's face.

…

General Ironwood stood over an intelligence officer, who was removing her earphones.

"We got it all." She told him.

"Very good, Remnant thanks you for your service Miss Fall. You are relieved from your post for this evening." He told her.

"Thank you sir." She replied, getting out of her chair and making her way towards the CCT's main elevator. The tower had been converted into an intelligence gathering facility by Atlas' military, meant to intercept White Fang communications across the continent.

Well, that's what they told the press anyway. In reality, they could listen in on anyone with ease.

Cinder smiled when she noticed a silver haired young man holding the elevator door open for her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He replied as the doors closed.

"You look awfully cheery."

"It's been a good day, The General just found out some very good friends of his are conspiring against him." She explained.

"Some friends." Mercury scoffed.

"No kidding." She replied.

"So what's our next move?"

"Well, I think it's about time we cut the strings between the puppet and her puppeteer. When she finds out what they did, she'll turn on them and the world's most powerful military will be brought to its knees by a little girl who was supposed to bring an end to war as we know it."

The elevator dinged as they reached the ground floor.

"The icing on the cake though, Is that I just did all that-"

She pointed to the upper floors of the tower.

"-For a little extra credit."

She smiled devilishly and exited the elevator with her accomplice in tow.

...

A.N- Whelp that concludes another chapter! I hope Weiss didn't sound too OoC! What does Cinder know about Penny? Guesses anyone? Will Ruby be able to enjoy her senior year with this threat looming on the horizon? Find out next time my dear readers! As always thank you for reading, feel free to leave a review if you have some feedback, I hope you all had a spooky Halloween and until next time…

Wolf Out!


End file.
